Among the five recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) to protect against novel coronavirus infection, "avoid touching your face" has been found to not be as well followed as the others, according to a recent survey in Japan.
A research team led by Tokyo Medical University conducted an online public awareness survey from February to June on 2,400 men and women between the ages of 20 and 79 living in the Kanto region on four separate occasions. The team is looking to raise public awareness of the fact that this measure is "important to the prevention of infection and spread [of the virus]."
The WHO recommends five preventive steps: "handwashing," "adhering to coughing etiquette," "avoiding touching your face," "maintaining physical distance" and "staying home if feeling unwell." The survey asked respondents to answer how often they practice each of the steps on a scale of four options: "always," "from time to time," "only sometimes" and "never."
Regarding the practice of "avoiding touching your face," the percentage of those who answered "always" and "from time to time" was 59% in the first survey conducted in February, and 73% in the fourth survey in June. Percentages for the other steps all exceeded 80%.
The WHO has urged that people refrain from touching their eyes, mouth or nose with their hands as they potentially carry the virus.
Masaki Machida, a research associate at the university who conducted the survey, said: "There are reports overseas of people touching their faces subconsciously more than 20 times in an hour. It is highly recommended that the avoidance of face touching becomes a more conscious effort and that, if touching your face is necessary, hands be washed before and then once again when finished."
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